Pleasant Trees

by Michael Hudson

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Equestria Girls, Thriller, Original Character, Mystery
Length: 4141

Pleasant Trees Mental Hospital: A quaint place on the outskirts of town, no one has ever seen a patient enter, or leave, that gentle place.

Pleasant Trees is a forgotten place to most in the town. The most you'll hear about it is with rumors, meant to scare little kids. For all anyone knows, it's just a mental hospital. Though, for Richard, it also means Summer work, and being able to start paying off his student loans because it pays so well.

Besides, he doesn't mind working the night shift, so why wouldn't he apply?

This is a comment driven/discovery driven story. Every now and then, bios for different characters, or even places, will be brought up. There you can theorize and guess to the true nature of the subjects, and the discoveries you make there can help the main character make it through his career alright. However, understand that not everything may be as simple, or black and white, as you might think. These are not simply animatronics seeking to stuff you into a suit after all.

Also, if you want to help me be able to make more of this, please consider donating.

Published 2016-12-07 21:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-15 19:48:52 UTC

Prologue

Hello. My name is Jack. I am the soon to be ex-security guard of Pleasant Trees Mental Health Hospital. Today I told the boss that I didn’t care about his warnings, or whatever bullshit he would do to me if I quit before two months were out; I was done. I have a better job, and I don’t have to work in a boring ass creep house for any longer.

No, this was the day I left. No more whispers at night, no more weird splashing or scratching. Just me and flipping burgers.

I will admit, I am a little sad to see the paycheck go. With just the two weeks I’ve been here, I’ve made almost a thousand dollars. Heck, maybe if the old man had offered to double up my salary, I’d be willing to stay. But nah, I was ready to leave.

So, what will I miss the most? Probably the babes. Sure, some are anemic, and one has a bit more fluff on her, but they’re all still damn pretty. Of course, they’re in this place for a damned reason, and the only one I think is normal has her lower half not working, so screw that.

Though, there was that one girl they added today. She was… weird. Twitchy, but damn hot I suppose. Shame she couldn’t talk. Or, maybe, that was for the best. I doubt she’d be very good at conversation if she did-

Stomp!

Jack stopped as he heard the sound, frowning as he turned to look down the corridor. He had a flashlight with him, so as to help with the light’s out policy. Shining it, he didn’t see anything. He could definitely hear something though. It wasn’t the whispers he was used to, or the sound of knives. Both had been absent the whole night.

No, they were the sound of heavy and hard footsteps as they raced down the corridors. He swung the flashlight around, tracking the sound as he heard it move. The white and black tiles that made up the walls shook from the force, and one fell, cracking against the floor from the impact.

The noise kept ringing out, all while the stomping stopped. Jack swallowed hard, his throat and mouth now completely dry as he began to walk towards where the guard station was. In a lock box, there was a taser, in case any of the girls got too out of hand. He wanted that right now.

As he walked, his shoes made almost no sound on the floor, but that didn’t seem to matter. The stomping came back, and he began to run. He didn’t want to know what the hell was after him, not until he was armed at the least.

Turn after turn, he could hear the thing moving, closer and closer. Each step brought two of its slams, and more and more shingles crashing to the ground. He could even hear them fall in front of him, and skidded to a stop. Looking ahead with the flashlight, he could see that the way was blocked by the shards.

Crack!

The sound had come from behind Jack, and, for a moment, he considered staying still. To not move, and let his death be hopefully instantaneous. But, as he heard loud, labored breathing, he remembered that tonight was his last night. He had survived two weeks of this place without anything even half as weird as this, and he wasn’t going to go out now.

He turned around, flashing the light on the thing. He could see a vaguely humanoid form, covered only in white bandages that hung from its body. He could see blood stains on them, and Jack assumed that they were from past victims. What else could it be from? For a moment, he just stood there, staring at it.

The thing raised its head, its hair some sort metal from the looks of it, as it shone the light back at him. Its face wasn’t covered though, and, while at this distance, he couldn’t make out most of the things features, it could make out one thing.

It appeared to have no eyes.

The thing screamed at him, shaking the tiles in the corridor as he put his hands over his ears. It was ear splitting, and threatened to make his ears bleed. However, just as fast as it had started the wail, it stopped, and the stomping began again, but away from him. Jack could tell that it wasn’t just away though. From the sounds of it, the thing was just circling around.

He looked at his flashlight, grinning as he realized that it was probably because of the light that the thing had gone away. That would be useful, what with the cieling light that lit up the guard’s station. He just had to get it, and, looking at the hallway in front of him, he didn’t care how.

It hurt. Running over the shards was fine for the first few steps. However, it was a long corridor, but the most direct to the station, making it absolutely crucial that he use it. So, with each subsequent step, the first shards were pushed higher and higher, stabbing through the soles of his shoes, and right into his feet.

Jack didn’t care at this point. He could sue the old bastard for this. He could sue the girls. But only if he got out, and that was what he was going to do. He just had to make it a bit further.

He shut his eyes, letting habit lead him to the station. He kept one eye barely open, watching for the familiar light. It was so hard to see through the tears in his eyes though, and the pain made it even harder to pay attention. The only thing that kept him going was his inherent want to live.

He crashed into the chair, barely managing to fall correctly into it, instead of face first, or in such a manner to send it falling. With the action though, he knew something was wrong.

He was sitting on… something.

Jack’s arms quickly found themselves bound in steel, along with his legs. They were tight, squeezing into his flesh, and quickly increasing the pressure. If they didn’t stop, his bones would break and shatter under the force.

Fortunately for him, he never felt that. In fact, when whatever he sat on fully closed, sending spikes into his chest, stomach, and eyes, he didn’t really feel that. There was no fear or pain there. Only the trap that had been laid for him.

The lights slowly came on after that, and an old man walked in. He was in his early to mid sixties, and sighed as he saw the mess that was his reception desk. It was to be expected of course, but… He had not expected like this.

A soft stomping brought his attention to the side, and he glanced to see the thing that had been chasing Jack. He smiled softly at the girl as she came closer and gently pet it as it stood straight. “There there. Your playmate is gone now. Maybe the next one will be more capable of handling you, instead of simply needing you to be… let go.

A small sigh escaped the girl, and it looked down. “I… I have to go back… don’t I?”

“Would you rather I send your friend?”

A small, red glow came from beneath the black bandage that covered its eyes. “No.”

The old man reached over, patting the girl on the back. “Don’t worry. You did well, and I’ll make sure you come out before the next one’s last night as best as I can. How does that sound?”

A smile came across the girl’s mouth, before she slowly nodded and began to walk away.

The old man smiled for a moment, before looking back at the guard’s station, and the bloodied figure that stood there now. He shooed the thing away, before pulling a cigar out of his pocket.

A quick puff was all he needed to switch his mind set, and he truly smiled now. “Well, we’ll just have to see how the next one holds up, won’t we?”

Bio: Twitch

Pleasant Trees

Richard

Richard hummed to himself as he stood outside of the large, imposing building. It had always been a backdrop of the town. The mysterious mental hospital that no one checked into, and, more importantly, no one checked out of. The only sign it was even actually operating was that delivery trucks came to it all the time, and the odd job posting.

Hence why he was here in the first place. After he graduated from Canterlot High School last year, and now was a college student, Richard didn’t have much to think about past training for track and field next year, and the student debt that he was racking up. So, when a job comes up that says he’ll have time to study for next year, train, or just chill while making twenty bucks an hour, full time, he wasn’t about to pass it up. Besides, what else was he going to do with his Summer?

Besides, buying into all those weird superstitions about the place was just silly. From what he’d read up about the place, it used to be a house before it was a hospital, and it probably was more for the members of the family that owned it and those they considered friends, or something like that. It wasn’t really his place to try to pry into their personal business anyways.

Now if only the owner would get here. He was already supposedly hired, with the hospital needing a night guard asap, and his resume looking good enough for him to qualify. He just had to meet the man who ran the place, and he was in, with his first night being tonight. Admittedly, that was a little-

Creak.

He turned to look at the sound, watching as a short, old man walked out. He had to be in his sixties at least, with thin, graying hair clinging to his wrinkled scalp. The man himself didn’t look to be in too bad of shape, beyond needing a cane at least, and he smiled with a warmth that Richard usually associated with old people.

The young man walked forward, extending a hand to the owner with a smile. “Hello, sir. I’’m Richard, the new night guard. How are you?”

The man grinned, before grabbing ahold of Richard’s hand. The grip was light, and they slowly moved their arms up and down, Richard matching the old man’s pace. “I’m quite well, especially with you here now. Now why don’t you come in? It’s awfully warm out, and I bet you’d like to cool down.”

Richard strode past him, nodding. Though it wasn’t too warm, especially in his loose, blue shirt and jeans, it would be nice to start getting a look at the place. And first impressions were… fine. The lobby was small, with maybe six or seven chairs and a reception desk in the middle that formed a semi-circle against the wall. The lights were those you’d find in a school, bathing the place in the same okay lighting.

His shoes squeaked against the tiled floor, which seemingly extended up the walls. Halfway up though, the white tiles switched to what looked like black shale that glistened in the light. It was pretty cool actually, and would have been pretty in a more interesting place. “So, sir, may I get your name?”

The old man nodded as he beckoned the younger man over to a door to the side. He brought out one key from his pocket. “I’m quite happy that I made sure to have a skeleton key, as I hate those gaudy, larger key rings.” He then slipped the key in, the lock sliding back smoothly. “As for my name, it is Bruce Brisken. Please call me Bruce though. I don’t like being reminded of my family name much.”

Richard frowned at the odd piece of news, as his grandparents always loved their family name. For an old person like this, especially of the wealth he had to have, just cast it off was odd. “Might I know why?”

The old man slowly walked down the long hallway, nodding in time with his slow steps. Almost immediately, the corridor opened up to more that branched off of this main one, and Richard could even see ones that began to curve. He could just imagine getting lost here.

Bruce turned suddenly, going down one of the narrower corridors. “This is our storage hallway. It’s a bit more recognizable, as the builders messed up with the renovations here, so I decided to make it a rather important part of the hospital. One you would be able to recognize no matter what.”

Bruce took a few more turns, breathing a little harder as he kept leading the way. “As for my name, it’s due to the sadness I feel about it. An unfortunate mania fell over much of my family. Some killed themselves, others killed each other, and now…”

He stopped, his shoulders slumped as he looked down. Richard stepped forward, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such bad memories back.”

Bruce looked back up, smiling at his young charge. “Ah, and this, this is what I had hoped to see. You have the brains and strength for this job, but without this sort of care, my night guards usually leave all too quickly. Now, come on. We’re almost to your station.”

Richard nodded, sticking his hands into his pockets as they continued to walk. He was a touch worried about getting back out, but at minimum, he knew that he could just wait for Bruce to help him out. What he had to worry about more was trying to find his way around wherever he was supposed to be watching.

Bruce nodded towards the desk that they could now see as they walked into a more open room. There were six paths leading away from the station, which made Richard’s heart sink more, but, looking at the small desk and the chair in front of it, he could see a black square on the soft, black seat. He walked over, picking it up, his eyes widening as he realized that it was some sort of tablet. “Please tell me this has a map or something of this place.”

Bruce grinned as he shook his head. “Better. It not only details the halls, but also has a built in GPS that will tell you where you are. It’s one of the prouder bits of technology I have here, though that isn’t really saying much.”

He opened his arms. “Welcome to Pleasant Trees Mental Hospital. Here we have fifty regular rooms, only of four are occupied, a pool, a recreation station, fully stocked kitchen, an extensive library, and none of those ridiculous MRI machines and the like.” He closed his arms, shaking his head. “Simply a place for those who are dysfunctional to recover.”

Richard smiled as he thought of leading a swimming class for any of the patients, before frowning. “Wait, you only have four patients?”

Bruce shook his head. “We have four regular patients. They’re the ones we consider ready for things like group therapy, the ability to learn, and the chance to socialize. We have more in higher priority rooms, some of which may be joining our current patients, but they still need some of our more special treatments.”

Richard slowly nodded, walking over to the desk. On it were a deck of cards, a flashlight, and plaque stating what it was; his station. On the sides were two boxes. One was a simple, white medical box for first aid, while the other was black. “Umm, what’s in this?”

Bruce reached past him, grabbing the top drawer of the desk. Within were four manilla folders, each with a different name on it. “These are small bios on each of our patients, so you can know a bit about them before you go see them. As for what that is in there,” he said as he pulled out a key, “is a taser, along with a gun and tranquilizers.. If any of the patients get too out of control, you may come back and use them, but I highly discourage it. It doesn’t take more than one quick judgement to lose their trust, and that won’t help them.”

With a quick nod, Richard accepted the key. He didn’t care much for violence anyways, so he wouldn’t have planned to use them unless he was recommended. No, he would put them out of his mind as he focused on… “Umm, sir, all of these patients are women.”

A grin spread over Bruce’s face before he tapped Richard’s arm with his cane. “See, said you were smart. However,” his face growing very serious, “I do expect you to be a gentleman. No abusing them and what not, got it? They’re still people, and I expect you to try to treat them as such.”

Richard swallowed hard, nodding furiously. “Of course, sir.”

Bruce nodded one more time, before turning away. “Now, it’s about two hours before lights out. I have a bit of paperwork to do, and then I’ll be leaving, and locking the door behind me. I won’t be back until six, and not a minute earlier. Your duties until then are to make sure the girls stay in their rooms, check on them as best as you can before lights out, and just make sure no troublemakers break in. Understand?”

Richard straightened his back, barking out, “Yes sir!”

Bruce chuckled at the cute, faux-military sort of attention, before waving the boy away. “Don’t be so serious with them. The more they like you, the easier it’ll be to get them to listen to you.”

Richard gave one last nod, before looking at the bios in front of him. He would need to start somewhere. The only question now, was who to start with.

Two will be able to be done before lights out unless for other specified reasons.
1) Kiara Araqui
2) Suzan Megra
3) Marse Mirolen
4) Xira Xelfin

Meeting Suzan

Richard nodded to himself, glancing at his desk again. He wasn’t going to bring the bios with him, that would just be irresponsible. However, he didn’t want to leave them unguarded either.

He then glanced to his backpack, and, with a shrug, decided that that was probably his best shot. It wasn’t like he had a safe or anything, just the small lockbox. With that decided, he began to walk, humming to himself as he made his way down the halls.

The main halls didn’t change that much from the entrance of the hospital, or… at all really. In fact, Richard thought, if he didn’t have his little tablet to help him, there would be no chance of finding his way back to the guard station, let alone to any of the patient’s rooms. It didn’t help of course that the hallways still had doors on them periodically, for if the hospital ever got a large amount of patients.

Richard didn’t dwell on it long though. He had other things to do, and a patient to introduce himself to. Suzan Megra. Like most of them, she sounded pretty normal to be honest. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her, as he doubted they did group therapy as often as she might want if she really hated being alone.

He turned past one more corner, still humming, when he saw her room come up on the tablet. A key appeared at the same time, letting him know that the camera icon was indeed hers, and that it showed where her room was at any time. It definitely helped it stand out to say the least.

With a small slide on the tiled floor, Richard stopped in front of the door. It was just like all the rest, and, from what he could tell, there wasn’t any light in this room either. Maybe it was because she liked the dark? That, or she was sleeping, and he was about to be pretty rude. He could knock softly instead, just in case, but she might not hear it-

“You can come in.”

Richard stopped for a moment, staring at the door. He’d barely heard the voice through the heavy metal door, but that was less disconcerting than the fact that she knew he was there. He hadn’t been exactly stealthy upon his approach though, so maybe…

He shook his head furiously, dispelling the worries from his head. He was just being paranoid after all. The bio said nothing about her being a psychic, or a threat, so why should he start assuming as such?

Instead, Richard slowly opened the door, smiling a little as he saw the woman on the bed. Just like her bio said, she did indeed have pink hair that came down her back in a long, wild ponytail. Not that he could see it all too well, as the only light in the place was a candle that she held.

Suzan turned towards him, her legs slipping from being up to her chest to hanging off the side of the bed. She wore a thin, white dress over her body, more like a nightgown really, but the low light made sure it was enough to hide herself. When he raised his eyes from her dress, looking into the girl’s blue eyes, he couldn’t help but blush, as they seemed trained on him. “Umm, hello. My name is Richard, and you’re Suzan, right?”

The woman nodded slightly, her eyes not moving from him. “Yes, I am. Are you… are you the new nightguard?”

Richard squared his shoulders behind him, trying to make sure he looked competent, as so far he felt like he was doing a pretty terrible job to show her that he would be able to protect the hospital. “Yep! And, if there’s anything I need to know to do my job better, just let me know.”

Suzan smiled a little bit, placing the candle on her nightstand, before she reached into it. Richard couldn’t see what she was up to, but he did take it as a chance to step into the room. Looking closer at her, he could tell that she was actually really pretty, despite being so pale as to look like a ghost. If she was in a bar, rather than a hospital, he could even imagine trying to ask her out.

Suzan turned around, a large, expensive looking camera in her hands. She fidgeted a bit, pulling back a little as she realized he had come into the room, before she stood up herself. Richard flipped his thoughts from beautiful, to cute, what with her being almost a foot shorter than him.

She fidgeted with the camera more, turning it over in her hands, before he could hear the sounds of inner mechanics whirring to life. No glow came from it though, so it had to be old. He didn’t even know when the last time he had seen a camera without a screen was.

Suzan finally lifted it up, not quite yet to her face, staring up at him with a small smile. “I… I like to take pictures of new friends. I find it helps me not forget them, a-and to feel like they’re with me, even if they aren’t. A-are you w-willing to be my friend? I know some people get mad when you take their picture, but you aren’t like that, right?”

Richard glanced around the room, his brow furrowing as he thought about the idea of his picture being taken. He couldn’t even see the walls with how dark it was in the place, even with the light that poured in from the hallways. “Umm, should I turn on the light first?”

Suzan slowly shook her head, her smile growing. “No! I-I like it dark, and I think the pictures come out better that way. I know it’s a little odd, but you don’t mind it, do you? Do… you?”

Richard swallowed hard, realizing that she must have noticed his smile drop. It seemed silly to be afraid of something as insignificant as a picture, but it also seemed so odd to just let someone take it in the dark. Still, if it helped with her recovery…

`1) The Picture

A) Say yes

B) Say no

2) Who should he see next?

A)Marse Mirolen

B)Kiara Araqui

C)Xira Xelfin

Author's Note

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